What If It's Love: A Small Town Romance (Serendipity Series Book 2) Page 11

  She was finally enjoying herself on a date with someone she got along with. It was going too well. She should’ve known better. Sooner or later, her bad luck had to catch up to her. It always did. And then her father happened. Why did she always put him first? He would never treat her like his daughter. Her friends were right. She needed to leave him to deal with the aftermath of his decisions. It might be too late to save what she and Merrick started, but Justice knew if she had any hope of living a normal life, she couldn’t keep living like this. She took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and pushed open the door to the police station.

  Sheriff Winters sighed as he glanced up from his desk. “You here to post his bail?”

  All the times she’d come to his rescue, he never changed. Her friends were right. She allowed him to have that impact on her life. If she wanted to break the cycle…if she had any hope of being happy…she had to let him make his choices and pay for them. She had to make her wants and desires a priority. Not her father.

  “I was going to, but…” She reminded herself if she didn’t stop enabling him, then there was no hope he never would. There was a possibility he would continue to drown himself in alcohol, but she couldn’t control what he did. She had to do what was right for her. She took another deep breath. “I’ve changed my mind.”

  The sheriff nodded. “Probably best, Justice. I don’t know what it will take for Pierce to get his head straight. He hasn’t been right since your mom passed away.”

  “Has he ever been right?”

  The man chuckled as he rose from his chair and retrieved his keys. “Good point, but his drinking is out of control, and you rushing in to save him at every turn won’t force his hand.”

  “I know.” Justice took a deep breath, hoping she didn’t lose her nerve. “If you don’t mind, I would like to talk to him, though.”

  “In the holding cell or would you prefer a room?”

  “The cell is fine. I won’t be long.”

  Kincaid Winters was not much older than her. He’d graduated her sophomore year and immediately went to San Antonio and into the academy. As he walked beside her, they fell into a comfortable silence. He paused at a locked door, hesitating for a moment. “I know things haven’t been easy for you. The whole town really cares about you. Don’t let your dad be an excuse to keep you from your life.”

  “Have you been talking to Chase and Kreed?”

  He tugged at his collar. “I’m sorry. I know I overstepped the line. It’s just…well, everyone just wants to see you happy. You deserve a life, Justice.”

  “I’m working on it, Kincaid. Scouts honor.” She tried to do the scout salute.

  Kincaid laughed. “That was pathetic. Even for someone who was never in scouts.”

  She forced a smile. “I really do appreciate what you’ve said. It’s nice to know that I have people in my corner.”

  “You always have people in your corner. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t put it past Merrick to go rally people to your cause.” He blushed. “Sorry, if I spoke out of turn.”

  “It’s okay. I’d just really like to get this over with so I can try and move on…whatever that looks like.”

  He opened the door and walked her through the hall, back to the small holding area. “Hey, Pierce. You have a visitor.”

  Pierce sat up and held his head in his hands for a moment. Then he fixed her with a hard stare. “Hey, what took you so long?” He slowly looked her over. “You look nice. What are you all dressed up for?”

  “I was on a date. And for once, I was actually enjoying myself.”

  “Sorry. There’ll be other dates. Other guys.” He rose from the cot and attempted to straighten his wrinkled shirt. “I would like to go home and sleep in my own bed.”

  “You’re not sorry, Dad. And you aren’t going to be sleeping anywhere else for a while.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not posting your bail.” Justice folded her arms and stared at the man who glared at her from the other side of the bars.

  “What? After all I’ve done for you?”

  “What have you done for me? By the time you even pretended I existed, I was practically an adult. My mother was dead. You came here, supposedly for my benefit, but you weren’t here. Not mentally. You drank yourself into the bottom of a bottle, and you’ve stayed there practically every day since she died.” Justice wrapped her fingers around the cold metal bars separating her from her father. “When I was little, I looked up to you. Wanted your approval. And I’ve spent most of my life trying to make you proud to have me as your daughter. But you don’t see me as your daughter. I’m nothing more than a designated driver and the only person in this town you can call because you know I will always bail you out.”

  “I know I haven’t been much of a dad. It’s just not something I’m good at.”

  “Well I’ve been a good daughter, but I can’t do this anymore. I can’t continue to let your actions impact my life.” Justice took a step back. “I’m done coming to your rescue. I can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry.”

  She nodded at the sheriff as she approached the door where he stood. Her father could be heard yelling her name as she followed the sheriff out into the main area of the station. Tears slid down her cheeks. The sheriff handed her a tissue.

  “I know how hard it was, but you did the right thing.”

  “Then why do I feel so bad?” Justice wiped at her eyes, then tossed the tissue into the trash.

  “Because you are a good person, Justice. You worry more about others than you do about yourself. You always have. Need a lift home?”

  “I’m good.” She forced a smile. “Thanks.”

  As Justice left the station, she feared it was too late to fix what had gone wrong between her and Merrick. She knew what it must have looked like. She wasn’t sure if she could take the sting out of the way she walked out on their date. Until she set things right with Merrick, she wouldn’t be able to put the night behind her. Maybe they could reclaim a part of their evening.

  She walked over to the corner market and got two strawberry shortcakes from the bakery case. They wouldn’t even compare to dessert at Verona’s, but it was the best she could do for a last-minute peace offering. When she crossed the street and made her way through the park, she saw Merrick’s truck in the parking lot of the fire station. She crossed the street and set the small bag in the bed of his truck.

  The captain pulled up and got out of his truck. He dropped the tailgate and started pulling out bags of groceries. “Hey there, Justice. Looking for Merrick?”

  She nodded.

  “He’s probably in the back. More than likely you’ll find him in the kitchen cooking for the team.”

  “He cooks more than pizza?”

  “Oh man, that boy can cook a steak like nobody’s business.” Merrick’s captain, Donovan Armstrong, juggled grocery bags in his arms. “If you wait a minute, I’d be honored to escort you back.”

  “I think I would be the honored one. Why don’t you let me grab a few of those bags and help you?” Justice pulled two of the grocery bags from the back of the Donovan’s truck.

  As they walk through the station, she heard Merrick’s voice. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she knew it was him. The captain grinned. “Told you he’d be back here.”

  Chapter 8

  The night didn’t go at all as he had planned. The sheriff reached out to him as a friend, because he was worried about Justice. When he’d heard Justice didn’t post bail for her father, Merrick knew it would wear on her. He was proud of her for taking a stand. Problem was, Merrick knew the guilt of leaving him in jail would eat away at her and he wasn’t willing to sit by and watch her struggle like that, so he posted her father’s bail. It would either be a decision that brought him closer to Justice, or it would anger her. Which way it would go, he couldn’t be sure. He went to the station, knowing cooking up a meal for the team would give him a chance to work through things. He did his best thin
king when he was cooking. But when he’d arrived, he found Bella waiting for him.

  He pushed passed her and headed back toward the kitchen, dropping his truck keys on his desk as he went. It was a mistake because he was now trapped with her blocking off his only escape. “This is not a good time.”

  She followed. “It never is where you’re concerned, Merrick. Did you have a bad date with little Miss Goody Two Shoes?”

  “Her name is Justice Morgan and my date with her is none of your business.”

  “But it is. We have history and we aren’t over.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you that dense? I have no interest in rekindling our sham of a relationship.” Merrick opened the fridge and started pulling out vegetables. “In hindsight, what we had wasn’t great. In reality it was quite toxic.”

  “You just need a reminder of what you’re missing.” She moved in on him, and he tried to back away, until his back hit the wall.

  Bella rose on her tiptoes, her hands on his chest, and she leaned in, pressing her lips to his.

  Merrick put his hands on her hips and pushed her back. He heard something drop. He stared past Bella and saw Justice standing in the doorway, the captain behind her. The look of horror on her face tore at his heart. He knew what it must’ve looked like, but he couldn’t change the situation he found himself in.

  He shoved Bella farther away. “Justice, it’s not what you think.”

  “I’m sorry, Captain.” She set the other bag down and fled.

  Merrick tried to chase after her, but she hurried through the halls grabbed something off his desk and climbed in his truck and peeled out of the parking lot

  “Justice!”

  Merrick felt his pockets and realized he’d left his keys on his desk, which didn’t register when she’d grabbed them. He spun around in the doorway of the station and ran into Bella. Crap.

  Bella peered over his shoulder. “Well, that went well.”

  The humor lining her words grated on his already frayed nerves.

  “Get out of here.” Irritation ran through him. How did things get so out of hand? He glared at Bella. “Don’t ever contact me again.”

  “But Merrick…” She stuck out her bottom lip, putting her infamous pout on display. It didn’t work on him anymore.

  “You are poison. Every time you are near me, something goes wrong. My life falls apart.” He moved to the side of the doorway, leaving a clear path for Bella to make her exit. “I want you to leave.”

  Bella lifted her chin and pulled her shoulders back. “Your stupid little restaurant might be doing alright now, but it will never amount to anything.”

  “It’s good enough for this town, and that’s one thing you can’t change.” He was confident in that. Southern Charred was a success because of the town and based on the reaction of the people he’d talked to after the fiasco at the bachelor auction, they didn’t have a very high opinion of Bella. They knew him though. Knew his hard work, the passion he had for the town, and they adored his little sister. Those were the reasons the restaurant grew to what it was. The tourists did the rest. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere I have to be.

  “You’re going to regret letting me go.”

  “I doubt it. Haven’t regretted it one day since I moved here.” He pushed past her. “You know your way out.”

  He didn’t wait to see if she left. He went to his desk and located the phone number for the local cab company. The phone in his pocket buzzed and he pulled it out. Justice’s name flashed across the screen and he quickly answered.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Merrick sighed. “Can I please come by? Let me explain.”

  “I don’t want to talk right now. It’s been a rough night. I know I’m partially to blame for that. Can we just talk tomorrow?”

  “My truck?” Merrick had no idea how he would make this right, but he knew he had to try. “I will leave the front door opened and your keys on the counter. Just please lock the door on your way out.”

  “Thanks for calling.” He hung up the phone and sank down into the swivel chair at his desk.

  “No moping. You have a couple messes to clean up. Let’s go Lieutenant.” His captain called from around the hallway.

  “Messes,” he mumbled to himself. The grocery mess was an easy fix. He got up and re-entered the kitchen.

  As he started helping the captain put the groceries away, he noticed the bag Justice dropped had eggs in it. Half of them had shattered and soaked through the carton. He put away the ones still safely nestled in the carton and discarded the rest. He’d have to remember to pick up some more and bring them in.

  They worked in silence for a bit, but Merrick knew it wouldn’t last.

  “That went well.” Donovan took the last empty grocery bag and folded it before placing it in the recycle bin. “And I’m not talking about the groceries.”

  “I know.” Merrick grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, then pulled out a chair and took a seat at the table. “I’ve never been good at this kind of stuff.”

  “Kind of picked up on that.”

  “Thanks.” Merrick laughed. “How do you do it? I mean…I’ve never had anyone in my life I seriously cared for. No one I would try to move Heaven and Earth for.”

  “Or whose father you would bail out of jail even if he didn’t appreciate the gesture?”

  “I didn’t do it for Pierce. I did it for her.”

  “Every single person in this town knows exactly why you bailed him out of jail.” Donovan leaned against the counter on the opposite side of the room from him. “You do know you’re in pretty deep with Justice?”

  “You mean how I feel about her? Yeah…I’ve kind of come to realize it.” He’d had no choice. When a single kiss can leave such a mental impression, it was kind of hard to deny there was more to his relationship with Justice.

  “You have to accept all of it. The issues with her father. Her apprehension in relationships. All of it.” He studied Merrick, a knowing look in his eyes. “Just as she has to accept all of your issues too.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” Merrick wasn’t sure how much his captain knew about his past. He was always careful to share only what people needed to know. Never letting anyone know all of it. But the look in the man’s eyes indicated he knew far more than most people in town.

  “Everyone has a past. Everyone carries baggage. No one in this town has a clean slate. Dig deep enough, you can uncover a lot of secrets.” Donovan winked. “Don’t worry. Your past is safe with me. It’s safe with Justice, too.”

  “I know.”

  “Then why are you still sitting here and not chasing after her?” Donovan pushed away from the counter and grabbed a banana out of the fruit bowl on the table. “I would’ve been out the door and stopping her before she had a chance to get very far.”

  “She took my truck.”

  “So? A woman like that? Wouldn’t have stopped me.”

  “It’s complicated.”

  His captain laughed. “Love always is.”

  The feel of the punching bag against Justice’s balled fists felt good. Sleep eluded her. She’d tossed and turned all night. Heard Merrick come and get his truck. Woke up to a single rose in a vase with a little tag stating a simple apology. Why did she feel like it was a consolation prize? She half expected him to knock on her bedroom door and demand to talk to her last night. But he was a gentleman and did exactly as she’d asked.

  She felt stupid believing she could hold her own against a woman like Bella. In a ring, sure, no doubt she’d probably walk away victorious. With men? Women with Bella’s looks, and money ran circles around her. They always had.

  With each contact, she felt some of her stress and anger ease. This was where she was comfortable, where she was in her element.

  “Pretending that’s my face?”

  Merrick’s voice startled her, and she let her guard down.
The punching bag swung back, knocking her to the ground.

  “Oh, wow.” He knelt on the floor beside her. “Sorry.”

  “I shouldn’t have lost my focus.” She sat up and slid herself back enough so she could lean back against the wall. She rested her arms across her bent knees. “Why are you here? You got your truck back last night. It was in one piece.”

  “I don’t care about the truck. I owe you an apology.”

  “You don’t owe me anything, Merrick.” She reached into her bag, which sat on the floor beside her, and fished out her bottled water. “One partial date hardly constitutes a commitment. Besides, I’m the one who ran out.”

  “Because of your father.” Merrick moved to put himself against the wall beside her. “I didn’t kiss Bella.”

  “Not what it looked like from where I stood.”

  “She caught me off guard at the station. I went there after you left the restaurant. I was upset, but after I thought about it, I get it. He’s your father. You’re always going to help him.” Merrick picked at a spot on the floor of the gym. “I can’t pretend to understand your loyalty to a man who never acknowledges you until he needs you. But that quality in you, to stand by people regardless of their faults, is one of the things I’ve always admired about you.”

  “Still doesn’t explain how Bella’s lips ended up on yours.”

  “Jealous?”

  “Of course, I was jealous! What woman wouldn’t be?”

  “I didn’t kiss her back. I made it perfectly clear I am not interested in a future with her.”

  “Maybe you should consider it. She can offer you things I can’t.”

  “No, she can’t.” Merrick glanced over at her. “Could you imagine her hiking in the wilderness? Camping? Going anywhere a five-star hotel and plenty of people to answer to her every whim don’t exist?”